The Hardened Heart
by MonkeyLovr
Summary: A horrible tragedy leaves Ezra Fitz broken, with nothing more than a vow to take revenge on his enemy using any means possible.When he crosses paths with his enemy's daughter, he's more than determined to finally get revenge. But what happens when his heart gets in the way?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey Y'all! So like I mentioned before, here's a new story that me and Carlet are writing! It's a bit different than all my other stories, so we hope you like it. **

Rosewood, Pennsylvania present day.

Ezra placed the last box of his stuff onto his new apartment floor. He had recently moved back from New York and it felt so weird to be back. Just thinking about the last time he was in Rosewood brought back painful memories, memories that he'd rather not revisit.

He quickly got settled in and headed out, thinking he'd grab a bite to eat. He drove past a house but stopped when something caught his attention. He stared and watched the happy family eating dinner. He immediately felt a rush of anger blaze through him. He wiped away the tears that were now beginning to fall down his face. He was _so _jealous, so jealous it sickened him, of the kids who were both so happy with _both _of their parents. It sickened him that the dad seemed so happy, so content with himself. The bastard was living a life he clearly didn't deserve. _How could he live with himself? _

Ezra watched as the girl excused herself from the table, pushing back her chair and heading upstairs. He observed her closely, rage and hate burning in his eyes, intermingling with the angry tears. He sighed and wiping away the last few tears, drove off before they looked out their window and spotted him. Ezra would _not _let himself cry. Especially not in front of them. He could not let them see him like this. Weak. He arrived shortly at the Rosewood Cemetery. Ezra kneeled and place the large bouquet of flowers on the tombstone.

"Hey Dad. I can't believe you've been gone for 10 years." his voice broke. "I miss you so much. I'm sorry I never came back to visit you, I wanted to but I couldn't bring myself to do so. I was afraid it would be too painful. I've tried to be strong, but I can't. I just can't. I really wish you were still here." He didn't care that tears were uncontrollably falling. Nobody was around. It was dinnertime and all the happy families were eating dinner in their perfect fucking houses. And here he was, crying alone by a tombstone. So pathetic he wanted to laugh. What was wrong with him?

"I love you Dad. And that's why I came back. To keep the promise I made to you 10 years ago."

_(10 years ago)_

_Ezra heard the front door open. He heard soft sobs coming from the living room. He rushed out of his bedroom only to find his mom collapsed on the couch, her face buried in her hands._

"_Mom, what's wrong?" A worried 14 year old Ezra asked. His mom could only continue to sob in silence. _

"_Mom please." He begged. She only continued sobbing. Ezra wrapped his arms around her. It was a move that was so unlike him, but in that moment all he wanted to do was comfort his mother. "Mom, you're scaring me." _

"_D-d-dad." She sobbed. "It was Dad's boss." Ezra eyes widened in shock and dread. He had a vague feeling of what came next. "Honey, daddy's at the hospital."_

"_He's ok though right?" Ezra said, worry present in his voice. Diane looked down. "Mom. He'll be ok right?" _

_She didn't respond. _

_His voice grew desperate. "Mom. Answer me." He shook his mother insistently. "He's gonna be ok. RIGHT?"_

"_I'm sorry honey." She caressed his face. "I'm so sorry." _

"_Wh-what happened?" Ezra pulled away in horror. _

"_He was shot baby." Dianne wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry. Please let me be the one to tell your brother."_

_Ezra nodded and only continued to cry."Mom. Why? Who did this?" _

"_I don't know baby." she sobbed. "I don't know."_

_The next few days were spent preparing for the funeral. Ezra went from being an outgoing and full of life boy to a quiet and sullen teen. It was especially hard on Wesley, who was only a little boy. Wesley cried for days. Didn't eat. Lost weight. He'd been especially close to his father. His mother drowned her sorrows by drinking. Everything turned into a complete mess._

_Finally the day of the funeral arrived and everyone in Rosewood showed up. The Hastings, the Fields, the Marins, the Montgomerys, the DiLaurentis, and many more. Byron Montgomery had been his father's business partner. They worked great together although both families never really mingled. _

_Everyone gave them their condolences and offered their support. Ezra stayed strong and tried to comfort a crying Wesley. His mother had practically aged fifty years overnight, and she looked thin and frail in her simple black outfit. She barely said a word, going through all the motions seemingly on autopilot. It broke Ezra's heart to see his formerly outgoing mother reduced to a quiet, trembly mess. Soon the service was over and everyone left , leaving Ezra, Wesley and Dianne, along with other members of the Fitzgerald family alone in the cemetery. Ezra held tightly to his mother's hand as they stood in front of the tomb one last time. Ezra felt Dianne tugging his arm gently._

"_Come on honey. We should go."_

"_You go along. I will be in the car in a few."_

"_Ok." Dianne left without a complaint, her hand clasped tightly around Wesley's. _

_Ezra watched as they all left. All throughout the funeral he tried to stay strong but at this point he couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't hold it in anymore. He broke down crying, sobbing uncontrollably._

"_Dad." Ezra sobbed. "Daddy." He never called him Daddy, but right now he felt so hurt, so alone, so broken, that he didn't care if sounded babyish. "Dad. Why did this have to happen. How could someone hurt you like this? Why would someone hurt you? You were the nicest person ever. Selfless, loving, caring. There aren't enough words to describe how amazing you were. I'm gonna miss you so much Dad. You will forever be in our hearts. Don't forget that." Ezra wiped away his tears. His pain soon turned into anger. "I promise you one thing for sure. Whoever did this to you will pay for it. I will be sure to do this even if it's the last thing I ever do. I promise you that." Ezra eyes once filled with pain and loss were now filled with anger and revenge. He didn't care about the consequences, or what he would do, hell he didn't even know who caused all this pain. What he did know for sure though was that he was determined to get revenge. _

"I will keep my promise. I'm now more determined than ever. Your killer will pay for what they did. They will experience the pain we went through. I promise you. Like I said before, even if it's the last thing I do, he will get what he deserves. I promise. The Montgomery's _will _pay."

**A/N: Please review! We really want to know what y'all think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey sorry for the long wait. Never underestimate how hard it is to get 2 ppl to cooperate on a story. Hope this ch makes up for it! **

Chapter 2

Ezra sits in his car, drumming his fingers on the leather covered steering wheel. He is parked across the street from _her _house. His unblinking eyes are trained on _her _window. The curtains are open, pushed back to either side, giving him a full, albeit small, view of her room. He squinted up at her room, cursing himself, wishing he'd thought to bring his binoculars. But it is still early, and he'd barely remembered to put on pants in his haste to leave the house and initiate Phase I of his revenge plan.

Phase I is to befriend her. He already knows from his countless hours of scouring her Facebook and Twitter that she is a bit of a kooky loner. That she differs from the rest of her bobblehead friends in that she has distinctly different interests. While her friends prefer chick flicks and Starbucks, Aria enjoys French films and coffee imported from Iceland. With a jolt, he had been quite surprised to discover that they shared similar interests. That, in an alternate universe, they could've been friends. Maybe even more.

Befriending her should not be that hard. He'd found out last night that her family just returned from Iceland, and he'd discerned by her tweets that she was less than thrilled about it. Having spent many years reading up on the Montgomerys and anyone associated with them, he'd learned that Aria's friend Alison had disappeared a few years ago. That, coupled with her three year stay in Iceland, should make Aria fairly easy to befriend. All Ezra had to do was turn on the charm.

His attention is immediately drawn to the house as he hears the slam of a door. "Bye Mom!" Calls the unmistakable voice of Aria Montgomery. He watches as she gets into her car, turns the ignition, and backs out of the driveway, turning out of the neighborhood. Ezra immediately follows suit. Time to begin Phase I: Befriend the Bitch.

He carefully follows her car, weaving through the thankfully not busy streets of Rosewood. He car is fairly easy to spot, and overtime he has perfected his stalking routine. Follow for a bit, take a turn while keeping an eye on the subject's car, double back, follow, and repeat. All to not arouse suspicion. Twice, he thought she'd caught notice of him following her, but it was just a false alarm.

He follows her car to a bar. Snookers. Of course she'd choose this place. It was just so...her. Never mind the fact that he's a regular at this place. Turning off the ignition, he slides down in his seat, watching out of the corner of his eye as she gets out of her car and strides through the door. Thankfully, he'd thought to park by a window. Though it was pretty grimy, it offers him a partial view of inside.

Ezra watches as Aria sits down at the bar and orders a beer. Watches as she takes a large gulp and nearly spits it out. Ezra snickers to himself. Idiot. Everyone knows that beer isn't the tastiest thing in the world. Her phone rings multiple times; it is so loud he can hear it from the rolled down window of his car. No doubt one of her friends trying to reach her; he'd noticed how excited they'd been about her return, judging by their posts on Facebook. Thank God her profile was mostly public. He sees her glance at the display and then shove it back in her pocket, a torn look crossing her face. Ezra knows that this is because she feels bad about not being all that excited about being back.

He watches as, three beers later, she becomes drunker and drunker. As she is beginning to slip off her stool, to fidget more. As he sees her begin to stumble towards the door, he knows that it is time.

Ezra strides purposefully out of his car, running his hands through his hair. _Showtime._ He pushes open the door of Snookers, timing it perfectly so he rams directly into her, her purse clattering to the floor, its contents spilling out everywhere. As planned, he reaches out and grabs her before she falls, though he'd like nothing more than to drop kick her to the curb, literally.

"Whoa there. Careful." Ezra forces a caring, teasing tone into his voice. He is surprised by how easily that comes.

"S-sorryyyy..." She slurs.

Carefully, he straightens her back up. "Are you ok?"

"Yessss. M'fine." She answers.

"No, you're not." He protests. He helps her into a chair. "Here, sit. There's no way you can drive home like this."

"How did you know I drove here?" She asks suspiciously.

_Crap!_ He looks around quickly. "I, uh, I saw your keys!" He improvises. Luckily, her keys are among the items she's dropped. He starts collecting her fallen items, gathering them into her purse, and plunks the purse onto the sticky table.

"Thanks." Aria says. She looks up at him, and he is startled to see the raw unhappiness behind her hazel eyes, an emotion that mirrors his own.

"So...where you from?" He attempts to begin a conversation, hoping that she'd take the hint and start talking. The more he knew about her the better. Luckily, like many drunk people, she began rambling on about Iceland. As she talks, Ezra is shocked to realize that she is more like him than he'd originally thought. That they had more in common than he'd expected. He finds himself reciprocating with tales of his own travels.

"And so I just don't wanna be back here, ya know?" She says, taking a sip of the water he'd ordered for her. "It's just so full of Typical Rosewoods." Aria groans.

Ezra nods along. "I get it." He says. And he actually does. He's noticed that everyone in Rosewood is pretty much the same. "What about your friends?" He asks. "They must be happy to have you back." He says, though he knows the answer already.

"They are." Aria confirms.

"And aren't you happy to see them?" He prompts.

"Yes, but...it's complicated." Aria replies. "See, we had this friend and..." she begins to blab about Alison. Luckily, Ezra already knows the whole story.

"Being back here just reminds me of her. I miss her so much. Nothing's the same anymore." She finishes. Suddenly, she looks at her watch. "God, would you look at the time? I can't believe I've just been sitting here, talking about myself."

"It's all good." Ezra replies. "You're a pretty interesting person, Aria Montgomery." As he'd planned, he stares directly into her eyes, making her blush.

He looks away. "Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." He pushes himself up, turns back, and throws her a long, meaningful look. And a second after he gets to the bathroom, as he'd intended, she pushes open the door.

Soon, she is seated atop the sink. His lips are encased in hers, his back pressed against the wall of the tiny Snookers bathroom. One hand reaches up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek. Their tongues are tangled together, and her hand is wrapped around his neck, pulling him close. Aria tastes like stale beer and the bathroom smells terrible, but Ezra forces himself to continue. To act like he's enjoying this.

* * *

The next day Aria wakes up with a killer headache. _Goddamnit. _After several attempts of waking up , she finally manages to get out of bed. She barely has any recollection of what happened last night. But all she remembers is _him._ She glances over at her alarm clock. 6:30. _Ugh._

She hops into the shower, letting the warm water soothe her body, wake her up. As it falls on her head she suddenly feels better, her headache slowly fading. She soon finishes getting ready and heads off to school. Although she'd almost completely ignored her friends' calls and texts since she got back, she has to admit she was anxious to see them all. It would be the first time they've spent time together ever since Alison. Though she was excited, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

This is her first time since Alison that she's been back in Rosewood. The first time in three years that she'll be seeing her friends. She's almost completely changed, from losing her pink hair streak to becoming what she has dubbed Icelandic Aria. The old, kooky, shy Rosewood Aria is no more, for she has transformed into a worldly, outspoken, and educated girl. A far cry from her old identity as Ali's weird friend.

Although she'd been wildly popular in Iceland, what if nobody likes her in Rosewood anymore? Sure, she's been keeping in touch with her friends, but what if they take one look at her and are instantly repelled by her new look and personality?

She pulls into an empty spot and makes her way into the school. She knew she should feel excited because after all it is her senior year, but all she wanted was to go back to Iceland, back to her safe haven. She is pulled out of her thoughts when she feels two arms wrap around her from behind..

"Aria!" Hanna hugs her tightly "You don't know how much I've missed you!"

"Han, i've missed you too" She smiles softly. What was she so worried about? These are her friends. Practically her sisters.

"I'm so glad you're back. It's been different without you." Hanna says, tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't cry."

"Im just happy we all will be together again."

"So am I." She smiles. "Where are Spencer and Emily?"

"They should be here soon."

"Aria?" Spencer says as they approach. "is that really you?"

"Yes. Its me." Aria says, almost shyly.

"Wow. Aria." Emily adds. "You look amazing."

"Oh my god." Spencer hugs her "We've really missed you."

"I missed you guys too."

"3 years. Can't believe its been three years since we last saw each other."

"Yes. But i'm back now. And back for good." She smiles at them. Her worries and fears are almost completely gone. " So anyways, what do you guys have first period?"

"Um I have AP English." Hanna answers.

"Me too." The three other girls say. They smile at each other with relief.

"Well thats a good start." Emily replies.

"How about we go get coffee before the bell rings. First day back so I'm in desperate need of caffeine." Spencer complains. The girls nod in response and head to the cafeteria. Aria is glad she's brought her own thermos of coffee imported from Iceland. From what she remembers, school coffee, make that Rosewood coffee, just doesn't cut it anymore.

* * *

Ezra really wasn't looking forward to his first day teaching. He loved to teach, always wanted to do it, but now he wasn't really sure of what to expect. Especially since he is here on a mission. He parked his car and he walked into the school, smiling at the the thought of the one thing he really was looking foward too. Her reaction.

* * *

"I heard that the new teacher is hot". Emily says taking a seat in the desk next to Aria's. "He just graduated or whatever."

"Oooh, so he's young. I like." Hanna adds. Aria only smiles in response. Now that she's with her friends she's glad that she's back. She'd forgotten how much she'd missed them. She busies herself with taking out her notebook, which sends a pang of nostalgia through her. This was one of the notebooks she'd used back in Iceland. She was off in her own little world, so she didn't notice when teacher came striding in.

"Damn..." Hanna giggles as she nudges Aria. "He _is _hot."

With that Aria finally looks up. She immediately feels her heart drop. _You're fucking kidding me._

Ezra, upon seeing her, couldn't help but smirk inwardly at her _extremely _shocked face._Let the games begin._

**Author's note: What did y'all think that means? Review to find out! Will try to update ASAP. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sooo sorry for the long wait. Summer before college is busier than we thought. Hope this ch makes up for it!**

Aria walks down the narrow hallway, towards his classroom at the end of the hall. She stops at his doorway and raises a fist to knock, but stops herself. Should she be doing this? She watches as he types away on his laptop, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Finally, she knocks. Ezra immediately looks up and waves her inside. Her heart beating at an insane rate, she pushes open the heavy wooden door and steps inside.

"Hey." She says tentatively. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." He says.

Aria crosses the room and sits down in the chair across from his. "So, um…" She starts at the same time he begins talking.

"Sorry." He says. "You first."

"Ok." She crosses and uncrosses her legs, unable to sit comfortably in the chair. "Well…it was a little awkward today." Aria begins.

Ezra nods. "You don't say." His eyes are filled with amusement, something that buoys Aria and fills her with the courage to continue.

Aria laughs lightly. "But I don't mind if you don't." She says shyly.

A look crosses his face, a look that Aria cannot read. "I-I'm not sure what you mean." Ezra stammers.

Suddenly, Aria wishes she hadn't come. "Umm…well."

Ezra sighs heavily. He stands up, perching on the end of his desk. His eyes are all seriousness. "Look, I think you're amazing. Really, I do. But you're my student. I could lose my job. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"Well I..." Aria does not know what to say. On one hand, she knows how wrong it'd be. But she likes him so, so much. "No, of course not." She says finally. Aria pushes herself up, her cheeks flaming with the pain of rejection. This was a mistake. "I-I have to go."

"Aria wait." Ezra stops her just as she reaches the doorway. Aria turns around, allowing hope to fill her chest for a brief moment. Maybe he realized that he made a mistake.

"Yes?" She asks.

"I'm sorry." He cocks his head adorably. "I wish we'd met under different circumstances."

"Me too." Aria whispers. And with that, she pushes the door open, stepping into the thankfully empty hallway, and allows the first tears to fall.

* * *

Ezra sits back as he watches her go. Through the window, he can see tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. And slowly, he smiles. He'd played his part just right. Knowing her, she wouldn't be able to resist pursuing him. And when she did, he'd be ready. He shifts into a slightly more comfortable position as he begins to grade the first day quizzes. His minds soon drifts off elsewhere and the stack of quizzes are soon forgotten.

_10 years ago_

"_Ezra! Wesley I'm home!" Mr. Fitzgerald calls._

"_Hey dad." Ezra is the first to come out. "How was work?"_

"_You know. Same like always. What about you? How was school?"_

"_It was ok. He simply states._

" _Where's Wes?"_

"_He's doing homework with Mom." Ezra informs him, but just as he finishes, Dianne and Wesley walk down._

"_Hey honey." Dianne gives him a quick peck._

"_Dad guess what?" A very excited 10 year old Wesley asks._

"_What?"_

"_I got all the answers on my homework right. Without any help."_

"_That's great."_

"_Now boys why don't you go wash up and get ready for dinner?" Dianne orders. "Is Byron Montgomery still coming over for dinner?"_

"_Yes." He checks his watch. "He should be here in about 10 minutes."_

"_Ok."_

"_Who's Byron?" A curious Ezra asks_

"_Just a colleague at Hollis. We're working on a proposal together and he's coming over to discuss it. Now hurry now." He tells him. Soon there was a knock on the door._

"_Ezra that must be Byron. Can you get that?" Mr. Fitzgerald asks._

"_Yup." Ezra heads over to the door and pulls it open to reveal a friendly looking man about his father's age. He is smiling down at him, holding a bottle of wine in one hand._

"_Hey. I'm Byron Montgomery. I work with your Dad." He explains._

"_Yeah, come in. We're all in the dining room." Ezra tells him. "I'm Ezra."_

"_Nice to meet you Ezra. Your dad always talks about how proud he is of you."_

"_Really?" Ezra asks with a smile on his face. Byron nods. Ezra leads him to the kitchen where everything is all set._

"_Hey Byron." Mr. Fitzgerald greets him."Take a seat." He motions to the seat next to Ezra._

"_Thanks."_

"_Anyways, this is my wife Dianne, Wesley and you've already met Ezra."_

"_Nice to meet you all."_

"_Likewise." Dianne says._

_All throughout dinner everything went smoothly. Ezra always found these business dinners very boring but Byron was different. He seemed fun and he was really nice. He paid attention to Ezra and Wesley, something many of his dad's colleagues had failed to do. He'd learned that Byron also had two kids, a daughter and son, and his wife Ella. They'd also made small talk about little things. His dad also seemed to be getting along well with Byron. His dad wasn't one to make friends that easily but he saw that the friendship between the two was going to grow strong._

_Soon Byron had to leave._ _"Thanks for dinner. And we'll finish discussing the proposal tomorrow."_

"_See you tomorrow. Goodnight." Mr. Fitzgerald leads him to the door._

"_Goodnight. Nice talking to you Ezra." Byron smiles. Ezra returns the smile." Well anyways, bye."_

Ezra runs his hand through his messy curls. How could Byron pretend to be someone he wasn't? The night his dad and him seemed so close; they worked so good together. His whole family trusted him. They gave him everything and he returned the favor by taking the most important person in his life away from him. It was hard to believe Byron would be capable of killing someone. But people lie. They're two faced. They pretend to be someone they're not and hurt you. Hurt you real good. But he shouldn't talk. He's was becoming exactly like him. But he has a good reason. Revenge. Trying to take his mind off this, he resumes grading the large stacks of papers in front of him.

* * *

Aria lies in her bed, hugging her pillow close to her chest. How was it even possible that just a day after meeting this guy she felt so attached to him? That just after one kiss she already felt like they belonged together? That just after one day everything was over. He is her teacher and she is his student. Aria laughs at how crazy this was but soon tears spill from her eyes. She'd made a fool of herself after school. How could the thought of them actually working cross her mind? They'd known each other for barely twenty-four hours. He probably feels nothing compared to what she feels.

_Get over him Aria. _She tells herself. She walks over to her desk and begins the homework that had been assigned., but as she starts reading the questions, everything becomes a blur. She can't concentrate on what is written on the piece of paper because her mind keeps taking her back to the previous day in the bar's bathroom. _Stop thinking about him. You can't have him._ She thinks to herself.

But the more she tries to not think about him, the more she does. His deep blue eyes. His dark curly hair. His smile. The way his lips felt on hers. The way he made her feel. The way they'd fit together to perfectly. That is something that is impossible to forget. After a couple minutes of trying to convince herself to stop thinking about him she finally came to realize that doing that would be impossible. So instead she goes back to her homework smiling to herself as she promises herself that she will have him.

No matter what it takes, Ezra Fitz is going to be hers.

**A/N: Ooohh what do y'all think that means? What will Aria do to get her dream guy?**


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